Midnight Queries
by AllByMyLonesome
Summary: Slightly angsty encounter between Karigan and the King on the ramparts of the castle at midnight. Passion, heartache, sympathy, confusion, and most importantly, love; this short story has it all. Please R&R. One-shot. **COMPLETE**


Disclaimer: I own nothing, blah, blah, blah and so on and so forth. I promise that I look nothing like Kristen Britain, so can we cut to the chase here?

A/N: My first GR fic, so bear with me here. Although, I do think it came out rather nicely, if I do say so myself. I went in with the intention to write about K&Z finding out that Mapstone confiscated the letters, and this is what came out. oh well, hope you like it!

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Midnight Queries

The stars lit the black-blue of the night sky, so dark it reminded her of pitch. The moon hung in the sky, a glowing orb bobbing in the dense murk. Night had always attracted Karigan. Whenever she found that she could not sleep, she would slip out into the velvet blackness, her feet gliding through the sharp prickles of dew-laden grass, until she could see the sky. But in the castle, it was harder for her to escape, the cold rock walls blocking out the invading darkness, forming a barrier sought out by its many night-fearing inhabitants. However, for Karigan, the blackness of the night was a painkiller, soothing the gaping hole inside her. While she would never admit to knowing, she understood the reason for this hole, not a wound of the flesh but of the heart. She would spend hours curled in her bed, trying vainly to sleep, hating the emptiness which filled her soul whenever she thought of _him_.

A week ago, this had all changed when she had run into Captain Mapstone one particularly bad night while pacing the long, cold halls of the castle. The Captain had given her a key, telling her that if it was darkness she sought, she might try the door that lead to the ramparts. This key became her salvation, and she spent every night on the walls of the castle, gazing out at the patterns woven by the bright stars on their midnight blanket.

Little did she know, however, that for the past three nights, she had not been alone on the cold ramparts. Her silent visitor had watched her as she stood in the bitter chill of night, numbing the ache within. He had been a frequent visitor to the walls long before Karigan, another soul seeking to soothe an aching heart. For the past few nights, he had stood in silence until she left, watching her every move yet saying nothing. But this night would be different. This night would be a beginning. Or so he hoped.

"The stars are unusually bright tonight." Her head whipped around, her eyes searching for the source of the voice. Stepping from the shadows into the light of the moon, he continued. "Or perhaps it's just my eyes." He closed the distance between them, stepping slightly to her side at the edge of the wall as he looked up at the sky. He heard her draw an unsteady breath, but refrained from glancing at her. Waiting for the expected remark, he maintained a watchful gaze on the stars. He felt more than saw her turn back to the wall and felt the tension between them, a distance of a mere three inches that he longed to close. However, he did not move, waiting to gauge her reaction.

"I could not tell you, Sire," she replied, "for I have been far more preoccupied with the moon." Despite her soft tone and formal address, her remark drew a smile on his face, and he marveled at her ability to surprise him again and again.

"And how is the moon tonight?" he asked lightly, turning to her and scrutinizing her profile.

"Incredibly melancholy," she responded with a grim smile, meeting his gaze briefly before turning away.

"And why is she so sad, do you think?" he asked, his suddenly solemn eyes never leaving her face.

He heard her draw a breath, as though bracing herself, before she replied, "Loneliness, Sire, for she drifts alone in the sky and can never be with the Sun."

His eyes widened at her response, searching hers for an explanation. Abruptly she stepped away from him, bowed briefly, and made for the stairs. However, his next question stopped her in her tracks.

"Do not the Sun and Moon sometimes meet in the sky, together forming an eclipse?" She turned around to look at him: he was silhouetted against the brightness of the moon, throwing his face into shadow. She sighed, and dropped her gaze to the floor before replying,

"Yes, but it happens too infrequently and passes too quickly to be of any consequence." At her comment, he closed the gap between them in three strides, taking her hands in his. She glanced down at the connection, expecting to see sparks flying at the contact.

"What if the Sun and Moon defied expectations and stayed together?"He asked in a fierce whisper, all his hopes and dreams carried in that one simple question. She met his gaze, and was nearly bowled over by the passion in his eyes. But the sadness in her eyes slowly muted the passion in his, and his fierce expression fell away as she responded,

"It does not matter what the Sun or the Moon desire, for Mother Nature has other plans for them both," and she gently withdrew her hands from his. Not meeting his eyes, she slipped back into the castle, leaving him forlorn at the top of the stairs. However, had she met his eyes, she would have seen determination light within them, shining through the dense layer of doubt which sought to cloud over everything else.

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A/N: Hope you all liked it! I initially wanted this to be a happily-ever-after piece, but the characters had other ideas. To compensate, I tacked on that bit on the end: subtle but promising. Or so I hope...anyways, please please please review! Constructive criticizm is always welcome, but don't outright flame please! I have a decent ego, but I don't think my self confidence could take any hate mail without cracking up.

xo Adèle Noëlle


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